And Down Will Come Sonic - Cradle and All
by BearfootTruck
Summary: While responding to a distress call, Sonic is injured. He'll have to heal soon, though, because Dr. Robotnik's got another diabolical plot cooking, too. Happy Halloween, everybody! Rated T for scenes of horror, violence, mild language and minor alcohol use
1. Chapter 1 - Falling Back and Moving Out

**DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to any people, living or dead, is purely coincidental. No historical figures were harmed in the writing of this story.**

* * *

It was a rotten day in Eggopolis. The sky was dark, the air was polluted, the city was covered in a layer of grime and practically all of its citizens were robotic. Furthermore, the city was heavily guarded by surveillance cameras, SWATbots & hover units. However, it wasn't always this way. The city was originally called Emerald City, and like the mythical city from _The Wizard of Oz_, it was a pretty nice place. Then, Dr. Ivo Robotnik & his goon squad took over one day. Dr. Ivo Robotnik, also known as Dr. Eggman, was a rotund, balding man who had a distinct mustache. His evil exploits were well-known and he was well on his way to conquering the planet Aigess.

Actually, Dr. Robotnik wasn't doing so well lately. The truth is, he had lost plenty of his forces in a recent attempt to attack the Great Forest. As a result, he was forced to recall some of his forces from elsewhere in Mobius, a move that he was not happy with.

"Snively, I have had it with those Freedom Fighters!" exclaimed Robotnik.

"What shall we do now?" asked Snively, a short, balding man with a long nose who was Dr. Robotnik's aide.

"Snively, fetch me my cards!" Snively left and returned with a platter of sterling silver. On the platter was a stack of cards. These cards had pictures of the E-Series robots, an elite group of robots created by Robotnik for special purposes.

"Which one will you choose, sir?" asked Snively. Robotnik picked up the cards and looked at them pensively.

"Hmmm…they all look so wicked," said Robotnik. "I can't choose!" So, to ease his decision, the Doctor put all the cards into a special compartment on his control console, closed the lid and pulled a lever, activating a slot machine. When the reels stopped, they displayed "BAR", "BAR" & a lemon.

"Loser" said the machine in a monotone voice, after which it short-circuited. As a result, all of Robotnik's cards burnt up, too.

"NO! My cards!" exclaimed Robotnik. "Snively, when was the last time you performed maintenance on the Robo-Slot Selectifier!?"

"About one week ago, sir" replied Snively.

"WELL DO IT MORE OFTEN! What am I paying you for!?"

"Y-you're not paying me anything."

"EXACTLY! Now get back to work or I'll have you roboticized!"

"Y-y-yes, sir!" Robotnik stormed off. "Hmph, what does he know!?" grumbled Snively. "I could run this empire more efficiently than him!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Robotnik walked in on Scratch & Grounder as they were arm wrestling. Scratch & Grounder – a tall, robotic chicken and a short robot who usually had drill bits for hands – were Robotnik's primary foot soldiers despite their incompetence.

"What is the meaning of this!?" demanded Robotnik.

"We're just tryin' to settle an argument, Your Wickedness!" replied Grounder.

"*sigh*…What are you two nincompoops arguing about now?" asked Robotnik.

"We were just wondering," said Scratch, "Which came first: The hedgehog or the egg?"

"You were wasting your time arguing over THAT!?" exclaimed Robotnik. "Get back to work, you two rejects! I'm not paying you to goof off and argue over insignificant queries such as that!"

"But you're not even paying us at all!" said Scratch.

"Yeah!" said Grounder.

"I KNOW THAT!" shouted Robotnik. "Now get back to work before I have you carted off to the wrecking yards! I cannot have anyone goofing around when my Atomic Decoupler is nearing completion! Is that understood!?"

"Yes, Your Foulness!" replied Scratch & Grounder, who discontinued their arm wrestling competition and got back to work, as did Robotnik. However, Robotnik briefly summoned the pair for one more thing:

"Oh, and by the way…" said the Doctor.

"Yes?" said Scratch & Grounder.

"…it was the egg that came first!" said Robotnik. "But I'm sure you two nincompoops have been working here long enough to know this!"

"See, I told ya!" said Scratch to Grounder.

"No way!" retorted Grounder. "The hedgehog came first and you know it!"

"Oh yeah!? Well, the hedgehog hatched from an egg, bolt-head!"

"No it didn't!"

"Yes it did!"

"No it didn't!"

"SILENCE!" shouted Robotnik. "This is the last time I will say that to either of you metallic morons! Now, prepare for Operation Nightshade!"

Without any further words, Scratch & Grounder ceased arguing and got back to work.

As for Robotnik, he went to check the progress on his Atomic Decoupler, a large, generator-like device with a bunch of reflectors on top of it. True to Dr. Robotnik's word, the device was nearing completion.

"Oooh," said Dr. Robotnik, "just knowing that this device will soon be completed warms the cockles of my heart! Eheheheheheheheh!"


	2. Chapter 2 - Distress Call

In contrast to the filth & ruin of Eggopolis, the village of Knothole was clean and peaceful. Located within the depths of the Great Forest, Knothole was populated by a group of Freedom Fighters. One of them was Sally Acorn, a brunette squirrel who served as a leader of the group. She was busy looking around for Sonic the Hedgehog.

"That's easy," said Miles "Tails" Prower – Sonic's best friend – "He went running into the Great Forest again. All he said was he had 'a need for speed, Keed'."

"Thanks, Tails!" said Sally, who went looking for Sonic in the Great Forest. Actually, it didn't take too long to find him. Furthermore, the blue hedgehog was taking a little break from zooming around the forest and was talking with Shadow the Hedgehog. Shadow looked almost like Sonic, barring his black coloration, the red stripes on his head, the differently-styled quills and the white hair on his chest. Ordinarily, he & Sonic were fierce rivals who competed on a near-constant basis, making this conversation seem odd to one who was not listening…

"…Look, I dig that, Shadow," said Sonic, "but all I'm sayin' is that sometimes, ya gotta know when to fold 'em! Show some mercy sometimes, ya know?"

"Mercy is for the weak!" retorted Shadow. "Only the righteous life forms are fit to continue living! Evil in all its forms must die!"

"Sonic! There you are!" exclaimed Sally. Sonic & Shadow stopped talking as Sonic turned around.

"What's shakin', Sal?" asked Sonic.

"I got an urgent distress call!" Sally handed a communiqué to Sonic. It was from a group calling themselves the Kinto Freedom Fighters. The message stated that they had detected some of Robotnik's patrols near their village and that they expected to be located and captured within that day. So, Sonic & friends had to stop the patrol units before Kinto Village was found. The message also contained the coordinates for Kinto & a map of where patrols had been spotted.

"No problemo!" exclaimed Sonic. "I can handle this one!" He turned to Shadow and said "It was nice talkin' to ya, Shadow. Gotta run, son!" Sonic ran off in the direction of Kinto. Not one to be outdone, though, Shadow decided to skate after him.

"Wait, come back!" cried Sally. It was no use, however, because she couldn't run as fast as either of the two hedgehogs. So, she ran back to bring the other Knothole Freedom Fighters.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sonic was making good time on that call when Shadow caught up to him.

"So, ya decided to join the party, eh Shadow?" said Sonic.

"Unlike you, Sonic, I do not play around!" said Shadow. "Witness my superior power!"

"HA! Like I haven't heard that one before! Now, cut the chit-chat and let's rescue that village!"

Soon enough, they reached Kinto Village. Or…they reached what should've been Kinto Village, but in reality was an empty clearing in the forest.

"Wow, some village!" remarked Sonic in a sarcastic tone. "What'd they do with this joint!? Did they paint everything invisible? Nah, they probably just gave out bogus directions! I'm outta here!"

Before Sonic left, Shadow said, "You fool! Don't you see!? It's a trap! There was no village in the first place!"

"Ah well, I'm outta here! Smell ya later, Shadow!" Before they could leave, though, Sonic & Shadow found themselves surrounded by Robotnik's forces.

"What a perceptive eye you have there, Shadow!" said Robotnik, hovering in his Eggmobile. "I do admit that your presence here is a surprise. However, you two are powerless to escape! Surrender now or face a painful destruction!"

"Get bent, Egghead!" snapped Sonic. "Time to zap & scrap!" Thus, Sonic & Shadow took off and started engaging Robotnik's forces.

"All forces, ATTACK!" shouted Robotnik. The clearing turned into a real battlefield, with the two hedgehogs dodging laser & missile fire from SWATbots, hoverbots, stealthbots and all kinds of mean, nasty machines that Robotnik had with him. Both of them were really making short work of Robotnik's goons. Then, suddenly…

"NOW!" shouted Robotnik. "Release the special weapon!" A bunch of metal objects were thrown onto the ground by one of Robotnik's goons. Still, Sonic & Shadow kept beating them, until…

"YEEEEEEOOOOOOOOWWWWWW!" Sonic ended up stepping on one of the metal objects, which turned out to be a spike. Sonic tumbled over and fell on the ground, while Shadow continued fighting.

"All forces, retreat!" ordered Robotnik. Robotnik & his goons started falling back.

"Wait, Shadow, help me out!" cried Sonic. Shadow stopped briefly and turned around.

"What was it that you said earlier?" said Shadow. "Ah yes! Smell you later, Sonic!" Shadow left Sonic on the ground.

"NO…WAIT!" cried Sonic. "TAILS! SALLY! SOMEBODY HELP ME!"

Not long after, Tails came flying in.

"TAILS!" exclaimed Sonic "Boy, am I glad to see you!"

"Sonic, what's wrong!?" asked Tails.

"I dunno; I stepped on something and it busted my foot! Please, help me, Tails!"

"Don't worry, Sonic, I'll help you!" Tails picked up Sonic and flew him back to Knothole.

* * *

Back in Knothole, Sonic was at the infirmary getting his foot patched up by Sally & Rotor Walrus. Rotor was a gray walrus with a yellow baseball cap. Ordinarily, he worked as a mechanic, but he was also fairly skilled when it came to medicine.

"How bad is it, guys?" asked Sonic, who woke up after the spike was removed and the operations completed.

"It's pretty bad," replied Rotor. "That spike went pretty far into your foot. We had to remove parts of your shoe & sock, too."

"It's a good thing that Tails found you when he did!" said Sally. "You could've gotten a serious infection! What were you thinking running off like that!?"

"I'm sorry, Sal!" said Sonic. "I didn't see the thing! Eh, it was a trap, anyways. I'm just glad that none of you got one, either!"

"Well, the important thing is that you're all right," said Sally. "Just take it easy for a while, OK? Don't put lots of weight on that foot, either!"

"All right, Sal." Sonic looked pretty depressed. He depended on his feet. Without a properly-functioning foot, how was he ever going to run as fast as he did? On the other hand, if he ignored Sally's advice, he might never be able to run again.

* * *

After Sonic's recovery period, Tails came in to see him.

"How are you feeling, Sonic?" asked Tails.

"Bummed out," replied Sonic. "I can't believe I'm not gonna be able to run for a while! Still, I gotta hand it to ya, Keed; if you hadn't been there as quickly as you were, they probably woulda chopped my foot off!"

"Yeah, I see what you mean," said Tails.

"Hey, Sugar-hog, we got somethin' for y'all!" Bunnie Rabbot, a golden rabbit with a robotic arm & legs entered, carrying a platter of chili dogs. She was accompanied by Antoine Depardieu (Antoine D'Coolette), a tan coyote wearing the blue uniform of a royal guard.

"Is that a plate of chili dogs?" queried Sonic. "For Moi?"

"Yep, sure is!" replied Bunnie. "Antoine & I figured y'all could use a special treat!"

"Oui, we were not wanting the great Sonic the 'edge'og to be without one of my grand culinary cremations!" said Antoine.

"Thanks, guys!" said Sonic. "You two are real chums!" Despite his injury, Sonic was still able to wolf down all those chili dogs quickly.

"Well, that really took the edge off of not bein' able to run like the wind!" said Sonic.

"Do not worry; it is not so bad!" assured Antoine. "I am sure you will be finding that there is a certain _joie_ in just loafing around, non?"

"Easy for you to say!" retorted Sonic. "The only time I'd ever loaf around is if I had somethin' to do while I was loafin'!"

"It's all right, hon!" assured Bunnie. "I'm sure y'all will be rollin' up a storm by the time the trumpets get to singin'! Besides, it's like Sally girl said, It's a good thing Tails caught ya when he did!"

"That's right!" said Tails

"Yeah, Tails is real solid!" said Sonic. "All of you are! I'm glad I got pals…like…" Sonic trailed off as he started yawning. "Man, I'm really feelin' out of it! Guys, I think I'm gonna crash early! Catch ya in the morning!"

"Good night, Sonic!" said Tails.

"See y'all in the mornin'!" said Bunnie.

"Bonne nuit!" said Antoine. The three left the infirmary and left the Blue Blur to his own devices. Soon, he was fast asleep…


	3. Chapter 3 - Field Trip

**Author's Note: Special thanks to Blackarms & SpiritsUnited for the story idea!**

* * *

Sonic had a dream that night. He was outside a building with a nice, green lawn & well-pruned bushes. Near the entrance stood another Sonic. This one looked different from our Sonic because it had an almost perfectly-round head (barring the quills on the back, of course). Sonic approached the other Sonic.

"Welcome, little boy, to Sonic's Schoolhouse!" said the other Sonic in a high-pitched voice. Strangely, this Sonic's mouth didn't move when he talked, always having the same smile on it. This Sonic never blinked, either.

Anyways, the other Sonic continued: "…I hope you enjoy your stay! Eheeheeheehee!"

"Wait…I have my own schoolhouse in this dream?" queried the real Sonic, puzzled by the whole setup. "And you're ME!? Actually…this could be pretty neat!"

"What's your name, boy?" asked the other Sonic. "Is your name Sonic?"

"Right on, man!" replied Sonic. "How'd ya know?"

"Because my name is your name! Now, welcome to Sonic's Schoolhouse!" The other Sonic led the real Sonic inside. The floor had gray & dark gray checkerboard tiles. The walls & ceiling were white. Additionally, the walls had posters of Sonic & Tails.

"Actually…this is pretty neat!" remarked the real Sonic.

"It is pretty neat!" said the other Sonic. "Why don't you go take a look around?"

"Well, I always thought school was pretty lame, but I think I'll dig the scene!" The real Sonic walked around and looked at the various doors. "Now, which one of these doors should I go through first?"

"Try that one!" The other Sonic spontaneously appeared from behind a door with a bunch of letters on it.

"OK then!" The real Sonic entered the room and discovered a bunch of bouncing letters & some chalkboards.

"Wait a minute, what's this?" wondered the real Sonic. "This is freaky-deeky!"

"Oh, that's nothing!" said the other Sonic. The real Sonic exited the room and tried another door. "Now, this is a door!" said the other Sonic, who again opened the door from behind. "You'll enjoy this one, I assure you!" This room also had chalkboards, but it also had some multicolored balloons with different pictures on them.

"OK, this is just too much of a trip for me," said the real Sonic. "I'm outta here!"

"Oh, you can never leave!" said the other Sonic.

"Whaddaya mean, I can never leave!?" retorted the real Sonic. "Of course I can! I'm outta here!" He attempted to open the door, but it was locked.

"You can never get out!" The real Sonic kept trying to open the door, even trying to spin dash his way out. However, the door held tight.

"What's the meaning of this!?" demanded the real Sonic. "I wanna get out of this joint!"

"You don't have to worry, Sonic!" assured the other Sonic. "Everything will be fine! Just sit back and learn!"

"But I don't wanna learn! This is just too much of a trip for me! I want out right now!"

"You'll never leave, Sonic!" said the other Sonic, or maybe we should say "Nightmare Sonic" from now on.

"Come on, there's gotta be a way out!" After a few moments, the real looked at the blackboards & the balloons. He noticed that the blackboards had words like "ASTRONAUT" & "CONVERTIBLE", which led him to the conclusion that he had to match the balloons to the correct blackboards. So, the True Blue Hedgehog went around frantically trying to match the two. After a minute or so, he completed the challenge and raced out the door.

"In your face!" exclaimed Sonic, who rushed to the backyard. He was just about to jump the fence when the gate opened for him. It was Nightmare Sonic again!

"Watch out, Sonic," said Nightmare Sonic, "or Robotnik will come and get you!"

"What, Robuttnik's here too!?" exclaimed Sonic.

"YOU CAN NOT ESCAPE, SONIC!" Sure enough, the Doctor was there in the backyard, chasing Sonic around in the Eggmobile. "You will be trapped in this place FOREVER! HA HA HA HA HA!"

"Oh no, I ain't rottin' away here!" retorted Sonic. "I'll find a way out soon!"

"There is none!" said Robotnik.

"That's right, Sonic," said Nightmare Sonic, "There's no way out! Now let's learn!"

"We'll see about that!" said Sonic, who jumped up and kept hitting the Eggmobile until it was heavily damaged.

"You may have won for now," shouted Robotnik as he flew away, "BUT YOU'LL NEVER GET AWAY!" Sonic jumped the fence only to land in another part of the backyard.

"YOU CAN NEVER LEEEEEAAAAVE!" taunted Nightmare Sonic. "Just go back inside, OR I'LL KILL YOU!"  
"You can't kill me!" retorted Sonic. "This is only a dream! Just a really…bad…dream…" Sonic trailed off when he saw his next challenge: one of those Concentration games. Here, there was a group of question marks arranged in a circle. When Sonic activated one, he activated a hologram of himself. The next one he activated was a hologram of Bunnie. So, after failing to get one match, Sonic frantically rushed around trying to match all the holograms. After a couple of minutes, he got them all.

"Got it!" exclaimed Sonic. "HA HA! Smell ya later, fake-face!" Sonic bolted for the front door.

"You may never leave, Sonic!" said Nightmare Sonic. "There's no way out!"

"Oh yes there is!" retorted Sonic as he bolted through the front door. "Ya snooze, ya lose!" Sonic kept racing on until he got to a city. In the city, he waited until a bus came around. He got in, paid the fare and took his seat. The bus was filled with a variety of humans & humanoid animals such as himself. The driver, an old guy, drove away after Sonic took his seat.

"Man, it sure feels good to get outta that place!" thought Sonic. "Now, when's this dream supposed to end?"

"It's time for a field trip, kids!" Somehow, the driver had morphed into Nightmare Sonic. "Don't you worry, I'm a good driver! Just trust me!"

"Uh-oh," thought Sonic. Suddenly, the bus began accelerating to impossible speeds, dodging traffic.

"HOLY CHILI DOGS!" cried Sonic. The bus kept going faster, faster, even faster than Sonic, who began to black out due to the high speeds. "HAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNG OOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNN..."

Sonic passed out and awoke in a black void. "Well, I guess I got out," he said to himself. "Where am I now? It's like…nothin'. Ah heck, I proved him wrong! I guess I can leave after all!"

"How can you understand, little boy?" said Nightmare Sonic.


	4. Chapter 4 - Is this a Dream

Suddenly, Sonic woke up!

"AAAAAAHHHH!" Sonic bolted upright. After a few seconds, he went back to sleep.

The next morning, Sonic was feeling better than before. His foot was also feeling better, so he hopped out of bed and decided to say "hi" to all his friends. First, he passed by Tails.

"Hey Tails, what's up, buddy?" said Sonic.

"Nothin' much," replied Tails. "Good morning, Sonic!"

"Good mornin' to you too!" said Sonic. Next, he ran into Rotor.

"Mornin', Rote!" said Sonic.

"Good morning!" said Rotor. "Feeling better?"

"I sure am!" replied Sonic. "Keep on truckin', man!"

"You too, Sonic!" Sonic encountered Bunnie & Antoine next.

"Hey Ant, hey Bunnie!" said Sonic.

"Howdy, sug!"said Bunnie.

"Salut!" said Antoine! "Are you feeling letter today?"

"That's 'better', Ant!" replied Sonic. "I'm feelin' groovy! See ya later!"

"Have a good day, Sugar-hog!" said Bunnie.

"À bientôt!" said Antoine. Finally, Sonic met up with Sally.

"Sal! How's my favorite squirrel doin' today?" asked Sonic. Strangely, Sally was facing away from Sonic.

"Oh Sonic, where were you when the brains were handed out?" said Sally in a sarcastic tone.

"Heh? What's goin' on here!?"

"I'll tell you what's going on! YOU CAN NEVER LEEEEAAAAVE!" Sally turned around to reveal that her face was actually that of Nightmare Sonic!

* * *

Sonic bolted awake again.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Sonic sat upright for a few seconds before going back to sleep again.

In the morning, Sonic was having trouble shaking that strange dream from his head. After breakfast, he went to his hut, plopped himself on the couch and turned on the TV. When Sonic turned on the TV, it was playing one of the _Liberation_ movies, a series of Soviet war films from the late 60's-early 70's. In this scene, a group of Soviet tanks was fighting a group of German tanks.

"All right!" exclaimed Sonic, who kicked back and proceeded to enjoy the movie.

"We interrupt this program to bring you a special news bulletin!" said an announcer as Sonic's movie was cut off. The TV cut to the news anchor, a man of at least 50.

"In today's news," began the anchorman, "…YOU CAN NEVER LEEEEEEEAAAAAAAVE!" his voice changed to that of Nightmare Sonic. He even ripped off his mask to reveal Nightmare Sonic's face underneath!

"OH NO!" exclaimed the real Sonic.

"Oh YES!" retorted Nightmare Sonic, who stuck his head through the TV screen and close to the real Sonic's face. "I'm comin' at ya in THREEEEEEEEEE-DDDDDDDD!"

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

* * *

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"Sonic bolted awake yet again. "Ah, forget it!" he said before going back to sleep. Despite the freaky dream he had, he slept pretty well. That is, until somebody tried to wake him…

"Sonic! Sonic!" It was Tails.

"No, Tails, I'm not gettin' up," said Sonic.

"But Sonic, you gotta come see this!"

"Tails, forget it! I know this is all a trick! You're gonna show me somethin' and then you or somebody else is gonna tell me I can never leave and you or that dude's gonna turn out to be that evil copycat of me! Now let me catch some shuteye, eh?"

"Sonic, what are you talking about!? This is serious! Please, help me!"

"Look, I said I ain't gettin' up! You're gonna have to do a lot better than that if ya wanna fool this hedgehog!"

"Please, listen to me! I know you're an awesome guy! If you don't help us out, then Knothole will be destroyed!"

"*sigh*…If I come along with ya, do ya promise to stop buggin' me, man!?"

"I promise!"

"Well…what are we waitin' for!? Let's speed, Keed!" Sonic & Tails ran off into the Great Forest. Despite the fact that it was in the middle of the night, the two could clearly see what was making all the trouble: It was Dr. Robotnik's Eggmobile, which now had two legs plus two arms with chainsaw attachments. The mad machine was cutting down a bunch of trees. Knuckles the Echidna, a red echidna with a white crescent-shaped mark on his chest, had arrived on scene, too.

"Hey Knuckster, what's up?" asked Sonic.

"I was taking a nighttime stroll through the forest when I heard a noise," said Knuckles. "I've seen something like this before, too. Around the same time that we first met, a similar machine came to Angel Island and started cutting down the trees. I was lucky enough to smash it, though!"

"Well, what are we waitin' for!?" said Sonic. "Let's recycle that tin can!"

"No, we can't go yet!" said Knuckles.

"Why not!? What's the holdup!?"

"Because…YOU CAN NEVER LEEEAAAVE!" Knuckles ripped off his mask to reveal Nightmare Sonic again.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"


	5. Chapter 5 - Or is it Real?

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

Sonic bolted awake yet again…only…he wasn't in his bed in Knothole. Rather, he was in someone else's bed. To be precise, he was in a Greenwich Village apartment on 11th Street in New York City, circa 1977. Sonic recognized the surroundings, though.

"Wait, what am I doin' back here!?" wondered Sonic. "This is one far out dream I've been havin'. Or maybe…I never really got back to Knothole! OH NO! I can't be stuck in this chili dog stand for the rest of my life! TAILS! SALLY! KNUCKLES! ANYONE! HELP!"

Sonic calmed down after a few seconds. "All right, take a chill pill, man!" he said to himself. "Maybe it's not so bad. Yeah, maybe I could use this time to straighten a few things out with Sharon! Up, over and gone!" With that, Sonic ran out of the apartment.

The "Sharon" in question was Sharon St. Martin, a blonde 24-year old woman whom Sonic had met during a previous adventure. Originally from Nebraska, she wanted to be a singer and worked at Rosen's Bakery until that time came. Thanks to Sonic, she had gotten a lucky break, but Big Blue figured that she might still be working at the bakery for a little bit longer.

After some running around, Sonic eventually located the bakery and went inside. He recognized the person behind the counter as Sharon, but she was facing the back wall.

"Yo, what's up, Shar?" asked Sonic.

Sharon didn't respond.

"Hey Shar, over here!"

Sharon remained motionless.

"Shar, it's me, Sonic the Hedgehog! Don't ya remember me!?"

Silence.

"Shar, what's goin' on!? Why are ya just standin' there!?"

Nothing.

"Are ya tryin' to give me the hairy eyeball!? 'Cause…uh…I don't think that's what they meant…heh heh!"

Still, no reply.

"Look, if you're mad 'cause I booked on ya, well…I dig. But Sharon, listen to me! I didn't want to leave any more than you wanted me to leave, but I just couldn't stay! I know ya got that note I left, so I'm sure ya gotta dig, too! But hey, I'm back now, and I wanted to say I'm sorry for any misery I caused ya! We're still buds…right?"

Yet again, Sonic was met with silence. He was getting really worried by now.

"Well…OK…uh…smell ya later…I guess…" Sonic turned to the door when Sharon turned around!

"It's time to make the DOUGHNUUUUUUUUUUUTS!" It wasn't Sharon; it was Nightmare Sonic again!

"Oh no, not you AGAIN!" exclaimed Sonic.

"YES! It's ME again!" retorted Nightmare Sonic. "YOU CAN NEVER LEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAVE!"

Sonic ran out the front door. At that moment, an NYPD car – a 1977 Plymouth Fury, unit #1124 – skidded to a halt outside the bakery. Two officers got out of the car and fired at Sonic, one with his .38, another with a shotgun. The Blue Blur managed to dodge their shots and rounded a corner. Unfortunately for him, the streets were barren and the only cars on the streets seemed to be NYPD cars. Similarly, the few pedestrians out for a walk seemed to be MOS. Still, Sonic kept running and dodged all their bullets.

Sonic's luck ran out, however, when he encountered a two-car roadblock. Taking cover behind those 1974 Plymouth Satellites – #993 & #1893 – some more officers opened fire and one of them hit Sonic in the leg. He tumbled over onto the ground. At that point, a gray 1973 Plymouth Fury pulled up, its red Fireball light flashing. Out of the car stepped…Shadow the Hedgehog, wearing an NYPD cap & gun belt!

"Shadow, I never thought I'd see ya here!" exclaimed Sonic, still lying on the ground. "You gotta help me! He's gonna get me!"

Shadow pointed a Smith & Wesson Model 29 at Sonic's head and said: "You've got to ask yourself a question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well do ya, punk!?"

"Shadow, don't do this to me, man!"

"Too late! You've made my day! Goodbye, Sonic!"

"Shadow, NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Shadow shot Sonic in the head, killing him instantly. Or…he would have killed Sonic were this not a dream…

* * *

In the morning, Sonic continued sleeping, trapped in the jaws of the eternal nightmares that he was going through. Tails walked in to see how he was doing.

"No…get out…leave me alone…" said Sonic in his sleep.

"Huh?" Tails was concerned when he heard Sonic say this. He figured something was wrong with Sonic. On the other hand, Tails figured his friend was probably oversleeping. After all, Sonic had been through surgery, so maybe he was just taking extra rest…

* * *

Sonic was now asleep at the wheel of a car, a red 1970 Plymouth Fury.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHH!" He awoke suddenly and checked his new surroundings. He was parked on the side of the road, in the middle of the desert.

"A car!?" said Sonic. "I don't normally use these, but I guess I'd better get kickin'!" He started the car and got moving. To ease his stress, he turned on the radio.

"…you're listening to KINT," said a female DJ, "We've got all the rock you could ever want, darling!" The radio started playing "Detroit Rock City" by KISS. Suddenly, the song was interrupted:

"Breaker, breaker, this is the schoolmaster calling the Blue Boy!" said a familiar high-pitched voice. "Do you copy? Over!"

"Huh? What the heck is this about!?" wondered Sonic. "Gimme back my tunes!"

"I can't! YOU CAN NEVER LEEEEAAAAAVE!" Nightmare Sonic had caught up again. Sonic frantically looked around when he saw it in his rear-view mirror: The G.U.N. Truck, a black tractor-trailer truck. Sonic had faced one of these beasts once, but he never thought he'd have to face one again.

"Uh-oh!" exclaimed Sonic. "Go, baby, go!" He put the pedal to the medal, and the Duel was on. However, the G.U.N. Truck was gaining on him!

"Oh boy! We're going to have so much fun, Sonic!" exclaimed Nightmare Sonic. He sped up and tapped the rear end of Sonic's Plymouth, shaking the car a bit and denting it a little.

"Hey, that's a new paint job!" yelled Sonic. "…I think. Time to fly!" Sonic gave the Plymouth all he could, but that rig was still outgunning him. The G.U.N. truck rammed Sonic even harder this time, crunching the rear end.

"Come on, I just waxed this baby!" shouted Sonic. He kept the gas held down. Being equipped with the 440 "Super Commando" V8, that Plymouth was no slouch. However, no matter how hard Sonic tried, that black behemoth seemed to have it in for him. Nightmare Sonic shook up the Plymouth with a few more hits. Nevertheless, that American iron held together, and Sonic kept a solid grip on the steering wheel.

"Come on, move it! Move it!" No matter how hard Big Blue pushed that car, though, the G.U.N. Truck was tight on his tail. This time, it pulled up alongside him.

"I'm gonna sand you down!" exclaimed Nightmare Sonic, who tried to run Sonic's Plymouth off the road. He bashed into the car, sending it off the road. Nevertheless, Sonic kept it pushed to the floor and kept going despite the bumpy ride. Each time he tried to get back on the road, though, Nightmare Sonic's rig pushed him away. Soon, Sonic was so annoyed that he pushed the gas pedal down even harder despite the fact that it couldn't go any farther down. This actually seemed to get him ahead of the G.U.N. Truck. That, or perhaps the truck was intentionally backing off. The latter case seemed likely, as Nightmare Sonic poured on more throttle and rear-ended the Plymouth a couple more times.

"Man, he's really truckin'!" said Sonic. "How fast am I goin', anyways?" Sonic looked at the speedometer and saw that it was topping out at 120, even though the Plymouth was capable of more.

"I could get out and run faster than this!" Sonic unbuckled his seatbelt, opened the door and jumped out of the Plymouth. The hapless car was rammed off the road by the G.U.N. Truck, turning it into a metal carcass. Sonic, meanwhile, was outrunning his evil counterpart.

"Ha ha! Smell ya later, turkey!" shouted Sonic, who kept running. However, unbeknownst to him, something was coming up behind him. It was the G.U.N. Truck! Furthermore, a group of G.U.N. Trucks fanned out from behind it and formed a huge wall, ready to flatten the blue Speed Demon.

"YOU'LL NEVER GET AWAY!" taunted Nightmare Sonic. The real Sonic looked behind him and saw the wall of rigs coming towards him. "We've got ourselves a convoy! A HA HA HA HA!" The trucks closed in on Sonic, getting close to him.

"Man, don't they ever give up!?" said Sonic to himself. "There's gotta be a way to outrun 'em!" Then, he had a realization: "Wait, if this is a dream, then maybe…" Sonic frantically checked his pockets, and after a few seconds, he pulled out a Power Ring!

"Oh yeah, baby! I am outta here!" Sonic got an extra boost of speed and outran the evil wall of rigs. Well…for a few moments, anyways. Then, the G.U.N. Trucks got back on Sonic's tail again. By now, Sonic was giving it all he had.

"Maximum…OVERDRIVE!" said Nightmare Sonic, who shifted gears and started going faster.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" Sonic screamed as the G.U.N. Truck crept up to him and prepared to squash him…

* * *

After breakfast, Sally went to check up on Sonic.

"Sonic, it's time for breakfast," she said. The Blue Blur failed to awaken.

"No…get out…help…" said Sonic, still sleeping. Sally was worried about Sonic. She couldn't bear to think about what sort of hell he was going through in his dreams. She placed her hand on Sonic's arm.

"Oh Sonic, I hope you're OK…" With that, Sally removed her hand from Sonic and got back to business as usual…

* * *

Meanwhile, back in Eggopolis, things were going well for Dr. Robotnik.

"Snively, what is the status on my troop levels?" asked Robotnik.

"Good news," replied Snively, "Factory production rates have increased since the past week! Troop levels should be returning to normal soon!"

"Excellent! What about the Atomic Decoupler?"

"More good news: It should be ready in about a half hour!"

"Also excellent! Best of all, I haven't heard a peep from that pesky Sonic since yesterday! It looks like Operation Nightshade was such a smashing success! I'll have to give myself a PRRRROMOTION!"

"But sir, you've already promoted yourself to ruler of Mobius. I'm afraid you can't give yourself any more promotions."

"WELL I'LL GIVE MYSELF ANOTHER ONE! I'm the greatest person who ever lived! No one dares question me! Now get back to work, you imbecile!"

"Y-yes sir." Then, Snively grumbled, "Why should I have to listen to someone who's full of himself!?"

"WHAT was THAT!?" said Robotnik.

"Eep! I-I meant…there's still a bottle of egg soda on the _shelf_!"

"Well, I'm not particularly thirsty now, but I shall inform you if I change my mind!"


	6. Chapter 6 - Won't He Open His Door?

Unbeknownst to Dr. Robotnik, somebody was in his city, unseen, watching all the SWATbot activity there. That somebody was Espio the Chameleon, a purple chameleon. At the moment, though, he looked practically invisible. Espio called in somebody on his wrist communicator:

"Purple Phantom to base; I've sighted increased troop activity in the city, over."

"Well, what's goin' on? Let me have it!" That someone was Vector the Crocodile, a large green crocodile. Vector & Espio were part of the Chaotix, a private detective agency that served as a front for other operations.

"I do not know yet. However, I shall investigate Robotnik's headquarters. Inform the others about this, too. Purple Phantom out."

"You got it, man! Base…"

"HIII!" Charmy Bee, another member of the Chaotix, took the radio mike from Vector.

"Hey, don't mess around with that!" exclaimed Vector. "Give it back!"

"Hey, what's going on?" asked Charmy over the radio. "What's that about troop activity? Are we gonna fight a war!? I've always wanted to fight a war! I could be GI Charmy, and you can be…"

"ENOUGH! Give that back, buzz-brain!" While Vector & Charmy were trying to grab the mike from each other, Espio simply ignored their squabbling and moved further into the city. Despite the fact that movement rendered him visible, he went unseen. However, he had to freeze up and remain still for a bit because a Hoverbot came by, apparently looking for something…

"No heat signatures detected," said the SWATbot who was piloting the Hoverbot. "Resume patrol patterns." The Hoverbot continued on its way, as did Espio.

Unbeknownst to Espio, someone else had been watching him this whole time, too…

* * *

Meanwhile, back in Knothole, Sally was making plans for another mission when NICOLE informed her "Incoming call." NICOLE was a portable computer that resembled a tan flip-top cell phone. In this case, though, she actually did behave almost like one.

Sally answered the call. It was Vector, calling her by video.

"Yes, what is it, Vector?" asked Sally.

"We got some news for ya:" said Vector, "They're movin' a lotta troops around in Eggopolis. We don't know what's goin' on yet, but Espio & I will keep ya posted, OK?"

"Thanks for the information. We'll be ready!"

Suddenly, Charmy interrupted:

"Hi Sally!" exclaimed Charmy. "How's it going? Hey, you want to hear a song? John Jacob Jingleheimer Smith…"

"ENOUGH!" shouted Vector. "You're wastin' all our minutes, kid!" Charmy kept singing, but Vector ended the call.

* * *

As for Espio, he made it into Robotnik's headquarters. No alarms had been raised, so whoever had been watching him before had something else on their mind. After navigating a few more ventilation ducts, he learned the reason for the influx of troops: The Atomic Decoupler, which was about ready to be activated, except for a few parts. He called Vector on his wrist communicator again:

"This is the Purple Phantom; I believe I've located the reason for that increased troop activity. I'm not sure what it is, but it looks like Dr. Robotnik has a weapon of some kind. Over."

"A weapon, huh?" said Vector. "Oh, our friends are gonna love that! Now get your duff back here before those robots…"

Charmy interrupted again: "Hey, wanna hear a song?" However, Vector unplugged the microphone before Charmy could fill the airwaves with his unnecessary crooning.

"I'll wait until I'm back at the base to listen to your singing," replied Espio. "In the meantime, do inform our friends about this. Purple Phantom out." With that, Espio went back to headquarters.

* * *

In Knothole, Sally was contemplating the intelligence she'd received when Antoine came by.

"Good morning, my princess," said Antoine. "How are the goings today?"

"I don't know," replied Sally. "I got word that there's been a lot of troop movements over in Eggopolis, but they don't know anything else about it. Also, Sonic still hasn't woken up yet. He doesn't usually sleep this late!"

"Do not be worrying; I am sure that Sonic is taking the beauty sleep, n'est pas?"

"Beauty sleep? Ugh…of course. He's always doing…" Sally was interrupted with another "Incoming call" from NICOLE, so she answered. It was Vector again.

"What's the situation, Vector?" asked Sally.

"Not good," replied Vector. "Turns out Robotnik's buildin' some weapon or somethin', I dunno."

"A weapon? What kind?"

"Dunno. All Espio told me was that the Doc was buildin' a weapon. Well…at least that's what he told me. Still, you guys oughta get over there before he fries us all!"

"We'd get over there as quickly as we can, but there's one problem…"

"Uh-oh, what is it this time?"

"It's Sonic. He's sleeping right now."

"Sleeping!? At this hour!? Man, that hedgehog's always livin' behind a wall o' daydreams & illusions! Won't he open his door!? I mean, come on!"

"Vector, we'll try to wake him up. Don't worry too much, OK?"

"Worry? Why should I worry!? You're the ones with the sleepin' hedgehog!"

"Look, we'll get there as soon as possible!"

"OK then…" Charmy interrupted again with one of his songs:

"Eggman has only got one…" Vector hung up.

Sally, meanwhile, rushed to the infirmary to try to wake Sonic.

"Sonic, wake up!" begged Sally.

"No…can't catch me…" said Sonic, who was still sleeping.

"Sonic, please wake up!" Sally shook Sonic.

"Help…get me outta here…"

"No…Sonic, please wake up!" Sally kept shaking Sonic, but it was no use. Sonic was deep into sleep.

"Sonic! SONIC!"

* * *

As for Sonic, he was lying on the ground during a fierce blizzard. Suddenly, he heard a voice:

"SONEEK! SONEEK!" Sonic awoke and slowly got up. He wasn't too sure, but he thought he was in Ice Cap Zone. Thing is, Ice Cap Zone had never had a blizzard this tough while he was there. Still, he thought this might be the place.

"SONEEK! SONEEK!" That voice called out to him again. He went towards the direction that he thought it was coming from. However, the wind & snow made it tough for him to go very fast. Still, he struggled to survive against the harsh snowstorm. The voice kept calling, "SONEEK! SONEEK!"

All of a sudden, Sonic plunged right through the snow! He ended up in a cavern below ground. Down here, he saw Tails, Sally, Knuckles, Bunnie, Antoine & Rotor, all in a circle. However, they were all frozen in blocks of ice.

"OH NO!" exclaimed Sonic. "I gotta get 'em outta there! I gotta do somethin'!" He was going to go find a way to unfreeze them, when suddenly…

"YOU CAN NEVER LEAVE!" Sonic turned around to find Nightmare Sonic waiting for him.

"You again!?" exclaimed Sonic. "I've had enough of you! Juice time!" Sonic did a spin dash and attempted to attack Nightmare Sonic, but he went through his evil doppelganger as though he were a hologram.

"YOU CAN'T BEAT ME!" boasted Nightmare Sonic. "The fire of Heaven will strike you down!" Then, a stream of blue fire shot down from the ceiling at Sonic.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" Sonic screamed as the freezing flames consumed him.

* * *

In a certain hut in another part of the Great Forest, Amy Rose was conducting a tarot reading. Amy was a pink hedgehog with a red dress, red headband & matching red shoes. Her hut was decorated with items that were pink and/or had a heart motif. As she turned over each card, she became more and more concerned. When she turned over that last card and analyzed the worlds lain out before her, the answer soon revealed itself to her…

"Uh-oh!" said Amy. "Time to get going!" She rushed out the front door, running like somebody's life depended upon it.


	7. Chapter 7 - Fight For the Cure

Sally was really concerned about Sonic. Nothing she'd done had been able to stir him, so she figured that something was really wrong with him. At this point, she decided to do a blood test on him. She pricked his arm, drew some blood and got to work.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sonic found himself at the entrance to an ancient temple in an obscure corner of the globe. Strangely, he was wearing a brown fedora and a brown bomber jacket this time. He entered the temple.

In the first room of the temple, there was a bunch of tiles with the 26 letters of the Latin alphabet on them. Sonic was confused as to what these were for, so he pulled out a note from his satchel. The note read: "In the early Latin alphabet, Jehovah begins with an 'I'."

With this information, he jumped over to the tile marked "I". Unfortunately, he was struck in the left arm by a dart.

"OW!" cried Sonic. "What'd ya do that for!?" Suddenly, another dart just barely missed him. At this point, Sonic decided to wing it and forget about the puzzle. He just started running, dodging a whole bunch of darts. Then, the familiar voice echoed through the temple halls:

"YOU CAN NEVER LEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAVE!" It was none other than the voice of Nightmare Sonic. Then, the real Sonic found a large boulder rolling towards him. He tried turning around and running back, only to find another boulder coming for him!

* * *

Just then, Bunnie walked in.

"Hey Sally girl, what'cha up to?" asked Bunnie.

"I'm analyzing Sonic's blood," replied Sally. "Something's wrong with him, and I want to find out!"

"Now, ain't y'all gettin' your britches in a knot? Maybe he's just oversleepin'! He does that sometimes, ya know?"

"Trust me, Bunnie, he's not just sleeping late. I tried to wake him, but he wouldn't stir! If you want to try, then you're certainly welcome to try."

"OK then." Bunnie grabbed a glass of water and splashed Sonic with it. However, the only reaction she got out of him was more of his sleep talk: "Help…drowning…"

"Golly, he usually hates that," said Bunnie. "Shouldn't he bolt outta bed when that happens?"

"Now do you see?" asked Sally.

"Yeah, but I still don't get why y'all are buzzin' around like a bee."

"Bunnie, Dr. Robotnik's building a new weapon. We've got to wake Sonic up! NICOLE, analyze this blood sample for me. Check for any toxins, poisons, or any unusual substances."

"Analyzing," said NICOLE.

"Well, ain't that a real humdinger!" said Bunnie. Then, NICOLE chimed in with her report:

"Analysis complete. One toxin detected: Sodium Barboxide, also known as 'the sleeping poison'. Once victims are injected, they fall into a deep sleep and never wake up again."

"Oh no!" exclaimed Sally. "NICOLE, is this fatal!?"

NICOLE answered: "During sleep, victims may expire from one of two causes: 1. Heart attack due to the increased heart rate that results from a prolonged fear response, 2. Lack of food & water."

"Oh my god! NICOLE, is there any cure for this!?"

"Searching…" After a couple of seconds: "One cure located: The Mobian Dragonflower, scientific name _Serpenignis Mobicinae_. The Mobian Dragonflower is a very rare species of flower. It is only confirmed to be growing on a small island in Azure Lake Zone. Unconfirmed reports also cite it as growing on the outlying shores of the lake. Be warned: Side effects may include a worsening of the victim's dreams prior to waking and in certain cases, a sudden and involuntary reaction upon waking."

"Good enough," said Sally, who ran out of the infirmary. Suddenly, Amy showed up.

"Excuse me, have you seen Sonic?" asked Amy.

"He's…out" replied Sally.

"Out? Where!?"

"He didn't say. All he said was that he had to juice!"

"Fine! You're no help!" Amy stormed off and continued looking for Sonic. Meanwhile, Sally found Tails.

"Tails, I need your help!" exclaimed Sally.

"What is it, Aunt Sally?" asked Tails.

"Sonic's been poisoned! I need you to get some medicine!"

"Oh no! No wonder he wouldn't wake up! What kind of medicine do you need?"

"Tails, get me some Mobian Dragonflowers!"

"Huh? Where am I going to find those?"

"They only grow at Azure Lake Zone."

"Azure Lake Zone? Hey, I've been there before! Now, what about those flowers?"

"Here…" Sally showed Tails a picture of the Mobian Dragonflower, a red-and-yellow flower with a sort of "flame" pattern to it.

"Got it! See you later, Aunt Sally!" Tails hurried off to the motor pool, a Quonset hut where the Knothole Freedom Fighters kept any vehicles that they might require. He dragged out the Tornado 2, a blue-and-yellow biplane that he'd built. Both he & Sonic had used this and similar aircraft on previous adventures.

Tails fired up the Tornado 2 and taxied down a long patch of dirt road that was supposed to pass for a runway. He took off and set sail for Azure Lake Zone. Now, certain readers may be asking why Tails is using an airplane when he himself can fly. Well, Azure Lake Zone is pretty far from Knothole, and Tails can't fly all that distance by himself, eh?

* * *

Anyways, Tails came to Azure Lake Zone, found a suitable spot to land the Tornado 2 and hopped out after coming to a stop. The zone was a beautiful, unspoiled lake with some ancient ruins by the shore, overgrown with lush plant life. When Tails looked out at the scene before him, he shed some tears as he was reminded of a happier time, a time when Sonic & him used to have so much fun racing around this lake. Tails wanted to cry even more when he thought about it. Sonic was his best friend, almost like a brother to him, too. Now, they would never get to do anything fun like this ever again.

But no! This couldn't be true! Tails pushed all that aside and focused on the mission. There was a cure, after all, and he was going to bring it back to Sonic! With a renewed sense of determination, Tails flew over the lake using his twin tails and landed on the island where the Mobian Dragonflowers were supposed to grow. Seeing that the intensely glowing flowers were in bloom, Tails picked a few of them and flew back for the Tornado 2.

Just as he was about to hop in, though, Amy came by.

"Hi, Tails!" said Amy. "What are you doing out…hey, are those flowers for me!? Tails…I didn't know you cared about me, too!"

"Sorry Amy, but these aren't for you," replied Tails. "They're for Sonic."

"Sonic?" Amy paused for a couple of seconds. "Oh…I get it now! I didn't know you were into that kind of thing, Tails!"

"No, it's not like that…"

"Come on, don't be shy! There's nothing wrong with having those feelings!"

"Amy, listen to me…"

"It's OK to be nervous, Tails! Just stand up and have pride in yourself!"

"Amy, Sonic's in trouble!"

"Tai…WHA…!?" Amy dropped her little spiel and stood there, astonished.

"That's why I got these flowers!" said Tails.

"OH NO!" cried Amy. "The cards were right! I'm coming for you, Sonic!" She ran off, hoping to find Ol' Blue. Meanwhile, Tails fired up the Tornado 2 and took to the skies.

"I just hope I'm not too late," said Tails. Suddenly, he got a nasty surprise: He ran into a trio of stealthbots.

"Uh-oh! I didn't think that curing Sonic was going to be this tough!" said Tails. The three stealthbots opened fire with their laser cannons. Luckily, the stealthbots missed the Tornado 2. Tails returned fire with the Tornado 2's twin .50-caliber machine guns, shooting down one of the stealthbots.

The two other stealthbots broke away from the formation and began pursuit. Tails went after one of them. However, the stealthbot he chose as his target was a tricky one. Tails attempted to get a fix on it, but it was no use; the stealthbot outmaneuvered him. Worse, Tails found that he had the other stealthbot right on his tail. He banked left, banked right and tried to shake this one, but it was little use. Then, he got an idea: He pulled a backflip and got behind the stealthbot. Unfortunately, the stealthbot that he was originally pursuing was now pursuing him. The stealthbot launched a missile at the Tornado 2. Tails banked a hard left and just barely dodged the missile, which ended up shooting down the second stealthbot instead.

Now, it was just Tails and that one last stealthbot. As mentioned before, this guy was a tricky one. No matter how hard Tails tried, he just couldn't shake that bogey. The stealthbot fired a few volleys at Tails with its laser cannons, which missed, but came too close. Next, it fired a missile at the Tornado 2, but Tails countered it by dropping a flare. Then, it fired another volley of lasers, some of which struck the Tornado 2. Luckily, damage was minimal and mainly consisted of some puncture wounds. Tails tried another maneuver to shake the stealthbot: dropping speed. Unfortunately, the stealthbot held on to the Tornado 2 like glue.

Then, the stealthbot fired another missile. Tails attempted to drop another flare, but he was all out…


	8. Chapter 8 - Hope

While Tails was out flying, someone else was also taking to the air: a white bat who wore a black bodysuit. That someone was Rouge the Bat, treasure hunter extraordinaire. Suddenly, she caught a glimpse of light from the ground: A shiny object of some sort.

"Well…hello there!" said Rouge, who swooped down to pick up the object. It turned out to be a simple metal spike. She was disappointed with her catch, but she kept it anyways.

* * *

As for Tails, that missile just barely missed him. He only had one hope for dealing with that stealthbot now, and that was to go up. However, doing so caused the Tornado 2 to stall and plummet back towards the ground. That was exactly what Tails needed, though. Heading nose-first, he opened fire on the incoming stealthbot and blew it out of the sky.

"Come on, come on!" said Tails as he attempted to restart the Tornado 2. Luckily, he got it going again, straightened out and headed for home.

"Yes!"

* * *

Back in Knothole, Sally was attending to Sonic, who was now hooked up to an IV bag. Then, she heard someone knock on the door.

"Come in!" said Sally. It was Rouge the Bat who entered.

"Yes, what do you want, Rouge?" asked Sally.

"I was flying around when I mistook _this_ for a gem," replied Rouge, who held the spike in her palm. "I have no use for it, but I figured that you people might."

"Yes, thank you." Sally took the spike from Rouge and set it aside.

"By the way…how's Big Blue doing?" asked Rouge.

"He's very sick right now. He hasn't woken up since this morning."

"Really? That's terrible! Do send him my condolences, OK?"

"We will." Rouge exited the infirmary and continued her flying. Sally was about to attend to Sonic when she had an idea. She rushed out of the infirmary and went to Rotor, who was cleaning his hut.

"Rotor, what did you do with the spike that we removed from Sonic's foot?" asked Sally.

"Well, I was going to throw it out today," replied Rotor. "Why?"

"I have an idea." The two located the spike from Sonic's foot, which was kept in a sealed container along with some refuse. Sally took this spike plus the one Rouge gave to her.

"NICOLE, analyze these two spikes," said Sally. "Check for any traces of Sodium Barboxide!"

"Analyzing," said NICOLE. Then: "Analysis complete. Match found. Both spikes have been coated with Sodium Barboxide. However, in this form, the toxin will not enter one's system unless the skin is punctured."

"Well, I guess that solves the mystery of how Sonic got sick," said Rotor.

"Yes, but that still won't help Sonic much!" said Sally. "We need Tails back here! NICOLE, patch me through to the Tornado 2!"

"Communications initiated…" said NICOLE. After a few moments: "Target located. Patching through now."

"Tornado 2, what is your status? Over!" said Sally.

"I'm almost there!" replied Tails. "I ran into some trouble on the way, but I'm fine! Out!"

"Understood. Base out."

Soon enough, Tails arrived with the Mobian Dragonflowers.

"Here, is this enough, Aunt Sally?" asked Tails.

"Yes, that should be more than enough!" replied Sally. "Thank you so much, Tails!"

"Oh, it's no problem! When Sonic's in trouble, you can count on me!"

"I appreciate it!" Sally went to Rotor and handed him the flowers.

"Rotor, get the antidote ready!" ordered Sally.

"You got it!" said Rotor.

A few moments later, the antidote was ready. Rotor applied some rubbing alcohol to Sonic's arm and injected him with the antidote.

"I hope this works" said Rotor.

* * *

Sonic's next dream was in a dark city at night. He was running down the street, trying to get away from an unseen terror. The street seemed to go on forever.

"Come on, where's the exit!?" wondered Sonic.

"There is none!" said the disembodied voice of Nightmare Sonic. "YOU CAN NEVER LEEEEAAAAAAAAVE! AHAHAHAHAHA!"

Suddenly, Sonic was struck in the left arm by a dart.

"Aw, not this jive again!" exclaimed Sonic. "How much longer do I gotta…keep…juicin'…" Sonic slowed down before collapsing into a deep sleep.

* * *

Back in the real world, Sonic still had not woken up.

"Come on! Wake up, Sonic!" begged Sally.

"He'll wake up soon," assured Tails. "I'm sure of it!"

"He'd better wake up soon!" said Sally. "Otherwise, there won't be any of us left!"

* * *

Sonic slowly woke up, only to find himself in a gigantic, darkened room. He was strapped to a chair, with a block of C-4 strapped to his chest.

"Huh…where am I…?" wondered Sonic. "OH NO! HELP, GET ME OUTTA HERE! SOMEBODY HELP! HELP!" No matter how much Sonic struggled, though, he couldn't break free of his restraints.

Then, a nearby television set turned on. The TV showed the image of a ventriloquist's dummy, whose skin was a pale white. The dummy had protruding cheeks with red spirals, red lips, menacing black eyes with red irises, and messy black hair with a receding hairline. The dummy's head slowly turned to face Sonic.

"Hello Sonic, I want to play a game," said the dummy in a deep, menacing voice. "For the past several years, people have been playing your games. However, in more recent years, the very same people that once loved and adored you watched as the quality of your games went into a decline. It appears that a hero of your caliber has been strangely unable to cope with that third dimension. Also, it looks like not all of your new tricks were as successful as you'd hoped. And what's with all those new 'friends' you brought along? Was that little orange fox not good enough for you? Truly, I am disappointed in you Sonic, as are many of your former fans.

However, I am a generous man, and tonight, I offer you a chance for redemption. Right now, you have a bomb strapped to you. When the restraints on your chair are released, the bomb will be armed. Naturally, when the timer goes off, it will explode and kill you. The rules are simple: There is a key at the other end of this room that will disarm the bomb. However, in order to reach it, you must only travel in a straight line. If you attempt to travel in any other directions, you will fall into a pit of spikes. I'm sure I don't need to remind you how deadly they can be. What will you sacrifice to stay alive? Live or die, make your choice. Let the game begin."

With that, Sonic's restraints were released, arming the bomb.

"All right, gotta go fast!" exclaimed Sonic, who sped off in a straight line as he'd been instructed.

"You don't gotta do NOTHING!" taunted the familiar, disembodied voice of Nightmare Sonic. "YOU CAN NEVERRRR LEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAVE! There will be BLOOD!"

Suddenly, a gap appeared in Sonic's path – something that he never Saw coming. Sonic attempted to jump over it, but the gap expanded, preventing the Blue Blur from reaching the other platform.

"NNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" screamed Sonic as he plunged towards the pit of spikes.


	9. Chapter 9 - Now or Never

When Sonic woke up, he found himself in a hospital. Four doctors were present, all wearing scrubs, caps & surgical masks.

"He's waking up now," said one of the doctors.

"Huh…where am I now?" wondered Sonic. "Where's Sally…and Tails?"

"You're going to be OK," said another doctor. "You should consider yourself lucky, young man!"

"Yeah…groovy," said Sonic. "So, how long's it gonna before I can split?"

"I'm afraid I have bad news for you, Sonic," said the doctor, "YOU CAN NEVER LEAVE!" The doctor ripped off his surgical mask to reveal that he was, in fact, Nightmare Sonic. Sonic attempted to run away, but he found himself restrained to the operating table.

Nightmare Sonic took a look at the monitors that were hooked up to the real Sonic and said, in a sarcastic tone, "OH NO! Prognosis negative! We're going to have to operate!" He then picked up a chainsaw from a nearby table and yanked the starter cord, activating it. Once the chainsaw was fired up, he proceeded to slice Sonic in half.

"GYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH HHHH!" screamed Sonic as he witnessed the spinning chain of doom graze his comparatively soft torso…

* * *

Meanwhile, in the real world, the world's most famous hedgehog was still asleep, trapped in his eternal nightmare. His friends were gathering around.

"Sonic, please wake up!" begged Tails.

"NICOLE, how long is it supposed to take for the antidote to work?" asked Sally.

"Exact times may vary for each individual," replied NICOLE. "There are various factors involved, including the dosage administered, the amount of time the patient has been without care, the patient's will to survive, and the overall health of the patient."

"Well, the exact time had better not be too long," said Sally. "If we lose too many seconds, then our whole planet could be wiped out!"

"Hey, look on the bright side," said Rotor. "At least you recognized that there was a problem with Sonic!"

"You're right, Rotor," said Sally. "Still, I can't help but wonder if I recognized it in time."

"Aw, I feel so stupid now," lamented Tails.

"Don't say that, Tails!" said Sally. "You're one of the brightest people I know. Without your help, Sonic would never have had a chance!"

"Thanks, Aunt Sally. You know what? Now that you mention it, I think Sonic's gonna wake up pretty soon! I mean, all this time I've known him, I don't remember much that could keep him down for long…"

* * *

Hopefully, Tails would be right, because back in Eggopolis, Snively had a message for Robotnik:

"Sir, the Atomic Decoupler has been completed!"

"Excellent, Snively! Now, I just need a suitable target to test it on. Oh, the glory! Heheheheheh…"

* * *

Sonic found himself on an interstate highway on the outskirts of a big city. He was driving a gold 1978 Ford LTD, but there was a huge traffic jam, so he wasn't going anywhere. In fact, the whole highway might as well have been a parking lot. Sonic honked the horn a bunch of times.

"Hey, get outta my way!" shouted Sonic. Unfortunately for him, not a single car moved, so he kept honking the horn.

"What's wrong with you people!?" shouted Sonic. "Are you a bunch of heads or somethin'!?" Despite his yelling & honking, traffic remained still, as if it were all just a photograph.

"Wait a minute…" said Sonic, "why do I have this set of wheels, anyways!? Last time I had one in these crazy dreams, I got wrecked! Gotta zoom, Blume!" Sonic attempted to unbuckle his seatbelt, but the release button didn't work. Furthermore, the doors were automatically locked, preventing him from escaping at all.

"YOU CAN NEVEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRR LEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAA AAVE!" Nightmare Sonic was at it again. "Welcome to the HIGHWAY TO HELL! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Sonic struggled to break free of his seatbelt, but it was no use.

"Come on…come on!" said Sonic. Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of something in his rearview mirror: A monster truck was coming straight for him, crushing all the cars in its path. Sonic tried struggling even harder, which was also futile.

"No…can't let this happen…urrgh…" said Sonic. "Must…fight…grrr…let me go! Gotta…juice…before…I…get…"

Suddenly, Sonic was able to break free of his restraints and break through the windshield of his car with a Spin Dash. His timing was excellent, too; the monster truck crushed his car about a second or so later. Now, it was the same story: Sonic vs. a mad piece of machinery. The Blue Blur ran like the wind over the cars, while his depraved doppelganger pursued him, leaving hulks of twisted metal & shattered glass in his wake. That monster truck drove over the cars as if they were nonexistent, and of course, no matter how hard the True Blue Hedgehog tried, the malevolent machine was gaining on him. Worse, there seemed to be no end to this highway as Sonic scurried over the cars, which at his speed appeared to be shapeless mounds of manufactured metal, plastic, glass and rubber.

"There's no way out!" taunted Nightmare Sonic. "You can run, but it will only end in a crushing defeat! AHAHAHAHAHA!"

The monster truck was just about on Sonic's tail by now.

"Man, what am I gonna do?" wondered Sonic. "There's gotta be a way outta…of course! Smell ya later, phony!"

In a surprising move, Sonic jumped off the side of the highway and fell towards a body of water.

"Wait a minute!" exclaimed Sonic. "Bad idea! BAD IDEA! BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH H!" He started flailing his arms & legs around while screaming. However, just as he was about to hit the water, he fell into a black void instead.

"Huh…? It's not even wet!" said Sonic, who stopped flailing around. A few moments later, he landed on a black-and-white checkerboard tile floor. A few feet away from him, a Tails Doll landed.

"YOU CAN NEVEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRR LEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAVE!" said Nightmare Sonic, only…his voice seemed to be coming from the Tails Doll. He then sang a little song:

_"Can you feel the sunshine?_

_Does it burn you in the day?_

_Don't you feel that sometimes,_

_Your death's not too far away?"_

"All right, can it!" ordered Sonic.

"NEVER!" retorted Nightmare Sonic/Tails Doll. "BURN, SONIC, BUUUUURRRRRRRRRRNNNNNNNNN!"

For some reason, Sonic could feel rage building up inside him. Seconds later, he let loose with his rage, charged at the Tails Doll, grabbed it by the neck and started punching it in the head.

However, after a few punches, the Tails Doll spoke to him:

"Hi Sonic!" The Tails Doll's head & voice had changed to that of the real Tails. Sonic was absolutely astonished, so much that in fact, he nearly let go of the doll.

"No…this can't be!" said Sonic. "This…can't…BE!" Having realized that this was a dirty trick, he punched the doll again.

"Where were you when the brains were handed out?" This time, the doll's head & voice changed to Sally's. Sonic got another shock, almost as great as the first. Still, he held on to the doll and punched it again.

"Bonne nuit, Sonic!" Antoine's head replaced Sally's now.

"No…why are you doin' this to me?" said Sonic. The horror was becoming too much for him now. He could feel his grip on the doll loosening again. "Stop…no more…NO…MORE!" Sonic gripped tightly again and punched the doll's head as hard as he could.

"Mercy is for the weak!" Shadow's head appeared on the doll now. Rather than loosening his grip or experiencing near-unbearable horror, Sonic immediately let loose with another punch, and another, and another, and another. Even as the doll's head cycled through the heads of all his friends: Knuckles, Bunnie, Rouge, Rotor, and so on, Big Blue would not stop hitting the doll. His rage was really running wild at this moment, so he kept on punching the doll with all his might, until…

* * *

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Sonic bolted awake for real now, screaming. When his screaming subsided, he just sat upright, panting, sweating heavily. Slowly, he turned to face all his friends.

"S-sal…?" said Sonic. "…Tails…? Rote…?" He then stopped speaking for a couple of seconds, when suddenly… "YOU'RE ALIVE!" Sonic jumped out of bed and gave Sally a big hug, crying. "I'm so glad to see ya! Oh, it was so horrible! Please, don't ever let that happen to me again!"

"Oh Sonic, I was so worried about you," said Sally, who returned his loving embrace.

Suddenly, Amy rushed in, pushed Sally aside and hugged Sonic.

"Ohmigosh, I'm so glad you're alive Sonic!1!" exclaimed Amy. "Tails told me everything! I was so worried but now you're here and you're not dead or sick or anything YAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYY!"

"Hey, get out of the way!" scolded Sally, who pushed Amy back.

"Sal…let it go," pleaded Sonic, tears still coming down his cheeks. "I ain't interested in feudin' right now. I…I'm just so happy to be alive right now…with all of you here. You're all way past cool…all of you…a-and…" Sonic continued crying.

"Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!" said all of Sonic's friends, who – in a most heartwarming moment – gave the Blue Blur a group hug. Behold how they loved him!

"It's great to have you back, Sonic!" said Tails.

"We thought we lost you forever!" said Rotor.

"Are ya kiddin'!?" exclaimed Sonic, who was calming down by now. "*Sniff*…Nothin's gonna break my stride, especially not after…*sniff*…what I went through! Say…*sniff*…how did I book from that, anyhow?"

"Well…" began Rotor…

"Why, it was all Thanksgiving to my blunderful magique!" interrupted Antoine. "Non, non, there is no needs for thanking me! I am only too glass to help!" Sonic rolled his eyes upon hearing this.

"Now, if you'll excuse me," said Sonic, whose spirit was refreshed, "I got a few cobwebs to shake! Catch ya later, guys!" He removed the IV needle from his arm, too.

"Wait, where are you going!?" asked Sally.

"Wherever the heck I want!" replied Sonic.

"But Sonic, we got word that Robotnik's building a new weapon!"

"Robuttnik!? How convenient for me! I was gonna blow this place anyway! Let's juice!"

"Sonic, take it easy! I don't want you to hurt your foot before it's healed!"

"Take it easy!? Sal, Robuttnik ain't gonna take it easy! Besides, I'm sure that thing's patched up thanks to my super-Sonic healing abilities! Now, if you'll excuse me, I am up, over and gone, baby!" Sonic left the infirmary, when suddenly…

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!" Sonic stopped and saw a man in his 60's wearing a dark gray suit & tie, pointing a .45 at him. It was Richard Nixon!

"Wait…who the heck are you!?" demanded Sonic.

"I AM THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA," replied Nixon, "AND I'M GONNA MAKE YOU PAY FOR ALL OF THE MISERY YOU'VE CAUSED ME!"

"United States…America? All right…what's shakin' here, man!?"

"NOW YOU LISTEN HERE, YOU LOWLIFE, I spent my ENTIRE LIFE BUILDING THIS COUNTRY ON ROCK 'N ROLL, AND I'M NOT GONNA SEE IT RUINED BY YOU PINKO TREE-HUGGING BASTARDS!" Because of his anger, Nixon couldn't keep the gun held straight.

"Whoa whoa whoa! Take a chill pill, man! I'm sure we can work somethin' out here!"

"Shut up…SHUT UP! I will NOT be tricked by ANY OF YOUR EVIL LIES!" At this point, Nixon was really agitated, flailing his arms around wildly rather than attempting to point the gun at Sonic. "I KNOW YOU'RE TRYING TO TEAR ME DOWN AND CRUSH THE DREAM THAT I WORKED SO HARD TO BUILD, BUT I'M NOT GONNA LET THAT HAPPEN! I'M GONNA MAKE YOU CHOKE! ALL OF YOU! I'M GONNA MAKE SURE YOU'LL NEVER GET ANOTHER DAMN JOB IN THIS TOWN! EVER!"

By now, the rest of Sonic's friends had come out to see what all the commotion was about. They were frightened by the sight of this gun-wielding ex-president. Nevertheless, Tails felt brave enough to speak to him:

"Pardon me, sir…but we have to leave now. We've got something important to do."

"YOU'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE, KID!" yelled Nixon, who pointed the gun at Tails. "NOBODY IS GONNA GET AWAY FOR TRYING TO RUIN MY GRAND VISION!"

"But sir," said Tails, "if you don't let us go, then you won't have any dreams to come true!"

"Shut up, SHUT UP, SHUUUUUUT UUUUUUUUUUUUUP! I KNOW THOSE PINKO TREE-HUGGERS HAVE BEEN FILLING YOUR HEAD WITH THOSE EVIL LIES, KID! I KNOW YOU'VE ALL BEEN PLOTTING TO TEAR MY INSIDES OUT RIGHT FROM THE START! LOOK AT YOU! AMERICA IS ALMOST GONE BECAUSE OF YOU PEOPLE! IT'S ALL JUST WATERGATES AND NINTENDOS AND HIPPIES NOW! DON'T YOU SEE!? YOU PEOPLE TALK ABOUT CREATING A WORLD OF PEACE AND LOVE, BUT YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO…"

"Oh-kay…" said Sonic, "I think this dude's made it clear that he ain't serious, so if you'll excuse me…"

"YOU THINK I'M NOT SERIOUS!?" yelled Nixon, who pointed the gun back at Sonic. "DO I LOOK LIKE I'M NOT SERIOUS!? I'LL SHOW YOU 'NOT SERIOUS'!" Nixon pulled the trigger, but nothing happened.

"Huh?" said everybody. Nixon slowly pointed the gun sideways and went to check it. However, before he put his hand on the slide, the gun went off. Luckily, nobody was injured. Sonic & his friends did flinch a little, though.

"There he is! Get him!" exclaimed a voice from the forest. Two men in white jumpsuits & hats emerged and went after Nixon. Nixon, pulled back the slide on his weapon and cocked it.

"FREEZE!" shouted Nixon, who swung towards the two men and tried to fire again. *CLICK*. The gun was all out of ammo, and the two men easily apprehended him.

"No…LET GO!" demanded Nixon, who was squirming in vain, attempting to break free of the two men. "LET ME GO RIGHT NOW! I'M NOT A CROOK!"

"No, but you're a complete loony," retorted one of the men.

"Wait…what's goin' on here now?" asked Sonic.

"We're with the local mental institution," said the second man, "and he's one of our patients."

"Yeah, he's a real tricky one!" said the first man. "Good thing we were able to recognize him without seeing his _true_ face!" He then took off Richard Nixon's mask to reveal that it wasn't really Richard Nixon, but a young blonde man in his late 20's. Strangely, he still spoke with Nixon's voice:

"YOU'LL NEVER TAKE ME ALIVE, YOU BASTARDS!" Breaking free from his captors, he then pulled out a bottle of Johnnie Walker from his suit and proceeded to consume the whole thing. Afterwards, he held the empty bottle up to his face as if it were a CB microphone and spoke to it with a higher-pitched, Scottish-accented voice:

"Hello computer!" He then went cross-eyed and passed out. The two orderlies dragged the man over to a white Ford van, loaded him in the back and drove off. Sonic & friends just stood there, perplexed by the whole thing, until the blue hedgehog broke the silence:

"Well, what are we waitin' for!? Let's kick Robuttnik's hiney again!" With that, they proceeded to Eggopolis.

* * *

When our heroes arrived at Eggopolis, things seemed oddly quiet. Except for some roboticized civilians walking the street, the coast was largely clear. Nevertheless, our heroes proceeded cautiously, especially considering that they heard intermittent laser fire & explosions. Oddly enough, Robotnik's HQ seemed largely unguarded.

"Well now what?" asked Amy. "There's nobody here!"

"Take it easy!" said Sonic. "It could be a trap! Let's play it cool for now, eh?" Sonic & friends were about to proceed further, when…  
"Hello…Sonic!" Everyone turned around and saw Shadow standing behind them.

"Shadow, what are you doing here?" asked Sally.

"Ha!" replied Shadow, whose perpetual frown had been replaced by a smirk. "While you people were sitting on your thumbs helping your pathetic little friend, I was busy with a few diversions!"

"What's that supposed to mean!?" asked Sonic.

"You tell me," retorted Shadow. "You're the big damn hero, so you should only know what I'm talking about! Heh heh!"

Sonic simply shrugged, so he and his friends turned away and started to head towards Robotnik's HQ.

"By the way…" said Shadow, whose smirk disappeared. Everyone turned around and asked, "Yes?"

"Do any of you have any apple strudel with you?" asked Shadow.

Sonic & co. replied negatively.

"Well…do you at least have any Swiss rolls?" asked Shadow.

Again, he got negative replies.

"Fine," said Shadow. "See if I care! You were all pathetic…"

Suddenly, a squad of SWATbots interrupted the conversation, assisted by a couple of hoverbots.

"Intruder sighted!" said one of the SWATbots."Firing!" Sonic and the others dispersed, except for Shadow.

"CHAOS BLAST!" exclaimed Shadow, who took out the SWATbots & hoverbots with the resulting blast.

* * *

Inside Dr. Robotnik's lair, the Atomic Decoupler was online. The mad Doctor was prepared to unleash its fearsome power on any target.

"YES!" exclaimed Robotnik. "Glory is at hand!" He was just about to fire the weapon, when…

"Hey Robuttnik, is this a private jam or can anybody join in!?" joked Sonic.

"WHAT!? NO, this can't be true! You're not even supposed to be awake!"

"Well, it's true and blue, Baldy McNosehair! Let's jam, guys!"

"You're too late, Sonic!" Robotnik was just about to press a large red button on the control panel of the Atomic Decoupler when Amy showed up. Having propelled herself up there using her Piko Piko Hammer, she went up to the control panel and started pressing buttons and messing around with sliders.

"NO! Get your filthy little hands away from that!" ordered Robotnik, who made a grab for Amy. However, she jumped over him using another hammer jump, and then she used the oversized yellow hammer to smash the control panel.

"YOU IMBECILE!" yelled Robotnik. "You're going to pay for that! SEIZE HER!"

Meanwhile, Sonic & the rest of the gang were either planting bombs on the Atomic Decoupler – which was starting to go haywire – or trying to defend against Robotnik's badniks. When everyone had done their jobs, they escaped from Robotnik's HQ with his forces in pursuit. Luckily, they managed to escape, as did Robotnik, before the Atomic Decoupler was destroyed in a massive explosion.

"IIIII HAAAAAATE THAAAAAAAAT HEDGEHOOOOOOG!" shouted Robotnik.

* * *

Back in Knothole, the team was having another victory celebration. The atmosphere was so thick with joy that it could be cut with the proverbial knife.

"Ya know," began Sonic, "I knew you cats were real winners from the very first time I met ya! You're all rad! I can't say that enough! There's one dude I'd especially like to thank, too, because without him, I wouldn't be able to keep on truckin' today! Tails, here's a special token of my appreciation!" Sonic handed him a bowl of mint candies.

"OH YEAH!" exclaimed Tails. "Thank you, Sonic!" He gave Sonic a big hug.

"Aw, shucks," said Bunnie. "It just warms my heart seein' that everytime!"

"Yeah, I know what you mean," said Rotor.

_Most people are so ungrateful to be alive, but not him._

_No, not any more…_


	10. Sonic Says

One day, Antoine was happily skipping down the sidewalk, singing "Alouette". Then, he encountered Shadow.

"Hey man, you're ugly!" said Shadow, pointing his index finger at Antoine.

"Quoi!?" Antoine stopped what he was doing. He was both shocked and perplexed by what Shadow said to him.

"No one likes you!" said Shadow. "You should go die!"

Antoine fell to his knees and started crying. Then, Sonic intervened.

"Hold it!" exclaimed Sonic, who put himself between the two. "Bullying is a serious problem! It can really ruin somebody's life! If you or somebody ya know is a victim of bullying, don't be afraid to speak up! Tell somebody ya trust, like your parents, your teacher, or anybody else in charge! If a bully keeps houndin' you or someone else, then help them or yourself get outta there! If it's really serious and somebody's life is in danger, tell the police, too! Most important, ya gotta support yourself or the person being bullied! Be a pal! Let 'em know that it ain't their fault and that you wanna help! Whatever ya do, though, DON'T get into a fight with the bully unless you're out of options!"


End file.
